Our medical experts find the best sites covering key medical conditions and problems. They target Australian sites which are informative and easy to read. Sites are rated:
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This is Australia's leading non-profit organization for funding kidney research and education. Overviews of various kidney diseases are provided under "National Kidney Resource Centre"/"Factsheets". Many conditions are covered, e.g. glomerulonephritis, cystitis, nephrotic syndrome, polycystic kidney disease, and urinary incontinence. Although there is a fair amount of medical detail, the material is very user-friendly with its succinct, non-technical language and clear presentation. Additional topics are updated constantly, so it is worth visiting the site again for more information. Another worthwhile feature of the site is an online bookshop, where the reader may purchase many useful books and resources about numerous kidney-related topics. Plus there are many useful links to other important relevant sites in the world.

This Canadian site is a valuable resource providing authoritative and comprehensive information about many kidney disorders. Contained in the "Publications" section, the numerous articles cover conditions such as urinary tract infection, kidney stones, diabetes, dialysis, as well as some less common disorders such as Alport's syndrome and lupus erythematosus. The articles are presented in a question-answer format, and are written with concise, non-technical language at a level well-suited to the general public. However, features such as support group listing are missing, and the "Links" contains very few links only. Nevertheless, a very worthwhile site to visit overall.

This is America's official National Kidney Foundation. Much of the site is devoted to providing service information, updates on upcoming events, and legislative news. The relevant medical information is primarily contained in the "A to Z guide" under "Patients"/"Resources". There is also scattered information under "Transplantation/organ-donation factsheets" and other headings. The available information is not as comprehensive as one might hope, although it does cover common topics such as diabetes, hypertension, dialysis, and rarer disorders such as analgesic nephropathy. The material is overall quite user-friendly, reliable and readily understandable, and the presentation is reasonably clear. As the site is still being updated, more topics would presumably be available in the future. However, a drawback of the site is the difficulty to locate the relevant information. An alphabetical listing of conditions with appropriate hyperlinks would be very worthwhile.

This is a fantastic, authoritative resource of information about kidney disorders. The "Online publications" section contains a comprehensive list of kidney disorder, ranging from the common (diabetes, hypertension) to the rare (Goodpasture's syndrome, Haemolytic uraemic syndrome). There is also a valuable "Kidney diseases dictionary", as well as an article covering the basics under "Your kidneys and how they work". These articles are presented in a concise, readily understandable format. For even less technical presentations, there are additional special "Easy-to-read" articles. Also available on the site are some interesting statistics of kidney diseases in America. This is quite simply one of the best sites in terms of good medical information.

This is an American support organization for kidney patients. There is ample information about local events and news (under "Conventions", "News & Updates"), but there is only a limited number of articles on the renal disorders. The articles are found under education, and included quite detailed discussions on peritoneal dialysis, haemodialysis, and a listing of the protein or salt content of foods. Other topics (eg. Iron, renal failure) are still being updated and may be available in the near future. The material is generally easy-to-read and non-technical, and is of direct practical relevance to the management of patients with renal impairment. However, it would be more desirable if other common topics (eg. nephrotic syndrome, urinary tract infections) are included as well.

This site is edited by specialist urologist with the aim of providing information for both doctors and the general public. The current information page provides a good overview of the some basic principles about the kidney, including its anatomy, physiology, the diseases that may afflict it, its examination, and the important treatment modalities. The text is readily understandable with its everyday-language and clear presentation. Details about individual conditions are not given. However, as a general overview of the normal and pathological processes of the kidneys, this article is actually very comprehensive and extremely informative.

Hosted by renal physicians, this site serves many functions, including providing general public information, as well as maintaining a network among professionals such as doctors and nurses. In terms of medical information, the reader may find a good overview of the physiology of the kidneys in "How the kidney works". There is an overview of chronic failure with hyperlinks to specific topics under "PreESRD guide". Even more specific references may be found under the sub-topics. In addition, there is a newsgroup divided according to specific condition under "NephroQuest". Plus there are updates on recent discoveries, legislation and community events under "Nephron Information center news". The materials are generally readily understandable and easy-to-read, with the exception of the journal articles. A drawback is the organization of the site, which is not the clearest and may make it difficult to find the relevant information.

This National voluntary organisation offers a range of medical information primarily housed under the sections "Healthy Lifestyle" and "Kidney Disease Facts". There are ample easy-to-read, concise information on various topics, including basic physiology of the kidneys, life-style changes, health recipes, and overviews of common renal disorders such as diabetes, hypertension, and nephrotic syndrome. There is also a very useful section "Kidney Q&A" in which many practical and scientific questions (eg. Insurance, organ donation, dialysis) are answered. Overall, this is a user-friendly, well-presented site that is a good source of authoritative yet readily understandable information.

The American Journal of Kidney Diseases is the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation, and contains a wealth of detailed, authoritative information about kidney disorders in the form of journal articles. The reader may access the information simply via "Search AJKD", or "Browse collected papers" in which the type of article may be chosen. All of these articles are primarily targeted at professionals, and are therefore presented in a very technical format. Nevertheless, this site does represent one of the most detailed and comprehensive sources of information on the internet. The site is probably most useful for the readers who already have a particular disorder in mind (Eg. lupus nephritis), and would like to obtain a more detailed understanding.

This is an excellent resource of medical information about the kidney and its disorders, and also one of the most user-friendly on the web. Most relevant information are contained under "Kidney FAQs" and "Med Info". In "kidney FAQs", there are ample questions and answers about various aspects of kidney disease, such as dialysis, anaemia, sexual problems, statistics. The "Med info" section contains a fantastically comprehensive list of kidney disorders, from the common to the rare. In addition, there are articles about other relevant topics, for example, kidney biopsy, side effects of steroids, and dialysis. The materials are generally very understandable and presented in a clear, succinct format. Other site features include the official magazine, local events, and support group listing. In summary, this site is one of the best available.